Bill Tieleman is one of BC's best known communicators, political commentators and strategists.
Bill writes a politics column Tuesdays in 24 Hours newspaper and The Tyee online magazine.
Bill has been Communications Director in the B.C. Premier's Office and at the BC Federation of Labour.
Bill owns West Star Communications, a consulting firm providing strategy and communication services for labour, business, non-profits and government.

Mayor
Gregor Robertson's version is a Vision Vancouver city council that fights
homelessness, works for better housing affordability and public transit,
promotes green technology and the environment, and battles provincial school
underfunding and corporate influence attempts, while still delivering excellent
basic services.

The NPA
complains about Vision not yet ending homelessness, but says be "realistic"
and votes against the city's homelessness action plan.

The NPA
says it supports some environmental issues, but doesn't take
a clear position on the proposed Kinder Morgan oil pipeline through Vancouver.

The NPA
wants an "affordable"
Broadway subway, but says details are forthcoming.

The NPA
agrees with Chevron's "Fuel Your
School" marketing program to give company money for education classroom
projects, but doesn't criticize B.C. government underfunding.

Naturally,
it's the opposition party's duty to criticize and be vague on their own plans
-- the NPA's un-budgeted platform
only came out last week, while the governing party has a six-year record to be
judged on -- sometimes harshly -- along with its own promises for the future.

But on
key issues the party differences are stark, and that makes for an important
election.

Surprise,
I support Vision

Regular
readers know I support Vision, so it's no surprise that I believe Robertson and
his council, school and park board team is the best choice.

With
that, feel free to disregard my views, but I think the NPA has run a very
strange and disjointed campaign.

From
choosing ex-journalist and non-Vancouver resident LaPointe in a secret process,
to the near-complete exclusion of incumbent NPA councillors George Affleck and Elizabeth
Ball, let alone other contenders, the party is taking a risky approach.

LaPointe
even jousted with his former Vancouver Sun reporter Frances Bula at a news
conference, calling
one of her queries an "empty question" and then walking away without
answering, all caught on video.

Odd
behaviour for a candidate with a media background in mid-campaign mode.

So far,
polling shows the strategy isn't working.

A
Justason Market Intelligence poll
last month put Robertson at 46 per cent, LaPointe at 32 per cent, Coalition of
Progressive Voters' Meena Wong at 16 per cent and others at six per cent.

Hard
truth

The
hard truth is that Wong can't win, but COPE could take enough votes from
Robertson to elect LaPointe.

Green
party councillor Adriane Carr and her two council candidates also can't win a majority,
but could help elect NPA councillors over Vision, as could COPE, which hasn't
elected a councillor since 2008, by splitting the vote.

Now,
I've advised
against strategic voting before. But that only applies to ward systems, where I
argue there's no way to effectively split your vote.

In a
multi-member election with no wards, as we have in Vancouver, every candidate
is effectively fighting all others, including colleagues from their own party.

The
Greens get little scrutiny, but Carr often sides with the NPA at council and
surprisingly opposes
Vision's plan for a Broadway subway.

Meanwhile,
the Green party declines
to endorse the environmentally minded Robertson for mayor despite not having
its own candidate.

The
once mighty COPE has fallen a long way -- just 216 members nominated
their candidates, mostly complete unknowns.

The
Vancouver and District Labour Council, a former ally of COPE, endorsed
Robertson, all Vision candidates and just two COPE candidates in the three
levels of city government.

There
are a number of new party and independent candidates, all of whom face an
uphill battle to win in a city-wide election where funding and name recognition
are critical -- as well as having a last name that starts with an A, B or C on
the archaic alphabetically listed and lengthy ballot.

But polls are
not terribly reliable, and it's ballots on election day that count. So judge
for yourself -- and whatever your choice, get out to vote Nov. 15!

5 comments:

PeterInEdmonton
said...

Bill’s been a long time campaigner for Mr. Robertson. Readers should treat this as a Robertson campaign brochure and probably should treat most comments similarly. I helped out an NPA friend in a previous election but have no involvement in this one.Bill opposes strategic voting when it might hurt the NDP and supports it when it helps. See his previous columns about not voting Green in Provincial campaigns. It is interesting that he has said nothing about Olivia Chow’s face plant when strategic voting might have played a role there. His silence on “Liberals for Linda” in my part of the world (see http://liberals4linda.blogspot.ca/) is as much partisan as it is West Coast insularity.

"Bill’s been a long time campaigner for Mr. Robertson. Readers should treat this as a Robertson campaign brochure and probably should treat most comments similarly. I helped out an NPA friend in a previous election but have no involvement in this one."

No surprises there. Bill is NDP and so are many Vision people. Gregr Robertson was an NDP MLA.

"Bill opposes strategic voting when it might hurt the NDP and supports it when it helps. See his previous columns about not voting Green in Provincial campaigns."

Strategic voting doesn't work. People are entitled to vote as they wish, but voting Green for many isn't done.

"It is interesting that he has said nothing about Olivia Chow’s face plant when strategic voting might have played a role there."

She lost on her own. Strategic voting doesn't help.

So Bill is for bike lanes (one wonders if he actually rides during cold rains that happen this time of year).

The article although written by Tieleman is not about him but the Vancouver election. He does support Vision and says so. I support Vision because of good work they have done. Now I guess I will get parts of my comments rewritten by some. Vote for who you wish but vote. If you don't vote you can't complain is an old expression

"The article although written by Tieleman is not about him but the Vancouver election. "

It is about him AND the Vancouver election in particular he is saying "I'm supporting Vision and here's why.." a typical endorsement so it is about him (giving the endorsement) and the Vancouver election (a civic party on the receiving end of his endorsement).

He does support Vision and says so. I support Vision because of good work they have done. Now I guess I will get parts of my comments rewritten by some.

Bike lanes that aren't used in huge numnbers? Socialist control over additional funds for community centres raised by the neighbourhoods that get spread around to the others without any input from the contributors?

"Vote for who you wish but vote. If you don't vote you can't complain is an old expression"

Bill Tieleman and Senator Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor

Jim Sinclair, Cindy Oliver, Ken Georgetti and Bill Tieleman

Bill Tieleman's coverage of the Basi-Virk/BC Legislature Raid Case praised by other journalists:

"This outstanding piece of journalism, in The Tyee, is the work of a journalist who has been deeply involved with this issue from the start and this article should be passed on as far and wide as possible."

"Bill Tieleman from 24 hours . . . . If you want to know about this trial and about this case, you have to read his blog – I mean, that’s just all there is to it – it’s required reading if you want to understand the BC Legislature Raid situation."

- Mike Smyth, columnist, The Province

"The Basi-Virk case....you’ve probably sat through more of these hearings and gone through more of the files and written about it than any other journalist in the province."

- Bill Good, host, The Bill Good Show, CKNW/Corus Radio Network

"Tieleman ...has done a first-rate job covering the trial."

- Paul Willcocks, columnist, the Victoria Times-Colonist

"Tieleman, who marries a considerable journalistic talent with one of the smartest political minds in the province, has been writing more web-exclusive material. And his coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is a must-read -- whether you're an insider or an outsider."

"24 Hours, the Vancouver paper that has been leading the coverage, as well as the hints of conspiracy in B.C."

- Norman Spector, columnist, Globe and Mail

"Although the major media in this circumstance has been giving the case significant coverage, Tieleman's reports on his blog have been outstanding.

The entire cut and thrust of legal wrangling and arguments has been covered and is accompanied by considered analysis.....His blog site coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is the most in depth treatment of one of British Columbia's biggest political scandals."

- Bill Bell, columnist, The North Shore News

"Mr. Tieleman has published online dispatches which, freed from the limitations of newsprint space or broadcast time, can run at length. They also remain available for those select readers who become obsessed with a case also known as Railgate.....

In another bizarre twist to a story with no shortage of them, Mr. Tieleman went to work one day in December only to discover his office had been ransacked. Bookcases had been tipped over and papers strewn, but nothing was missing.

To top it off, a press kit for the self-published novel The Raid, written by a retired military officer in Metchosin and featuring on its cover a photograph from the 2003 police raid, had been left in a conspicuous place."

- Tom Hawthorn, columnist, The Globe and Mail

Nobody has followed the Basi-Virk affair over its past five years with greater diligence than local journalist, Bill Tieleman....Tieleman deserves our thanks, a fistful of journalism awards and some merit citation for citizenship.